The video portraying a night in the life of downtown Hermosa Beach opens innocently enough: scenes of people walking dogs and strolling on the pier, couples enjoying romantic dinners, skateboarders and bicyclists riding, a gorgeous sunset captured with cellphone cameras.

But then the sun goes down, and everything changes. Families retreat and partiers start arriving by cab and Uber. By 8:30 p.m., the video narrator intones, the vibe changes and Hermosa Beach becomes a completely different town.

The video, commissioned by the city, captures nine hours of activity around Pier Plaza on just one day — Sept. 9, from 5:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. — but, in reality, it could be any weekend night, many in town agree. That’s because the images captured on this video seem to repeat: public drinking, a stumbling drunk, urination in open view, vomit, alcohol-fueled arguments and, finally, several bar patrons engaged in a punching, kicking brawl.

It’s the side of Hermosa Beach that some residents insist they never see.

“I have no doubt that goes on,” one resident said at last week’s City Council meeting, “but I don’t see it in the hours I’m around. … I don’t know that town.”

Said another: “Why put out a video that portrays us in a negative view?”

The videographer was hired to capture the night scene to highlight the issues police officers face at night, especially on the weekends.

“It does give you a sense of what we deal with on the weekends down there as your police department and public safety department,” Police Chief Sharon Papa told the City Council last week.

When three Hermosa Beach police officers were injured in a clash during the early morning hours of Nov. 5, 2016, the city hired a private security company to offer support downtown. That incident also led to the creation of the Downtown Subcommittee to develop solutions for myriad issues on Pier Plaza. The video was commissioned as part of that effort.

Nico De Anda-Scaia, assistant to the city manager, said the video “highlighted the finite number of city employees available to interact with and control the often rowdy and intoxicated patrons in the downtown area during the late-night hours.”

Video as reality

While some residents said the video put Hermosa Beach in a bad light, some council members said the incidents captured in the video exist and need to be addressed.

Councilman Hany Fangary said he’s seen it on every police ride-along he’s been on. He’s also heard from residents who don’t feel comfortable downtown at night, so they might to go Manhattan Beach or Redondo Beach for dinner. Retailers might close because they are concerned about their employees being harassed.

“We can close our eyes and pretend it’s not happening, but it is,” Fangary said.

“People just like to come to Hermosa Beach to have a good time and, unfortunately, part of that is alcohol and they have a different means of getting to alcohol and that’s what we see in the video,” Fangary said.

The intent of the video was “not picking on businesses,” he said.

But that’s exactly how some reacted to it.

Businesses previewed video

The video was shared with some of the businesses on Pier Plaza, including American Junkie, Patrick Molloy’s and Baja Sharkeez. Some owners weren’t happy with how downtown was portrayed in the video and expressed their concerns with it on social media. This prompted ire from some residents that the video wasn’t released to the public prior to last Tuesday’s council meeting.

Papa said she had “no idea” that the business owners were upset with the video following the meeting where she previewed it for them.

“We showed it to a group of police officers, everyone from some of the new kids … to our longtime officers. … Everyone looked at that and said that is what we deal with on a regular basis down there,” Papa said. “It’s not trying to pit anyone against anybody. It was just, this is real, this is what we need to address and we need to invest to change it.”

The City Council commended Papa’s efforts to engage the business owners about the issues facing Pier Plaza. She has been working for months with owners such as Ron Newman, who with son Greg owns Sharkeez restaurants as well as Shark’s Cove, Palmilla Cocina y Tequilla and Tower 12. Newman said the issues will not be solved with more code enforcement or greater policing, but by working together.

“We don’t want the lawsuits, we don’t want the wrong people coming,” Newman said. “I think there’s enough cooperation between all of us; we’re willing to do just about anything,”

‘Dawn of the Dead’ people

To address the issues, the subcommittee developed a Downtown Enhancement Plan, a four-pronged approach to issues on the plaza. One focus of the plan was how environment can shape behavior. An important first step was new lighting to increase security and to enhance the ambiance of Pier Plaza. Beefed-up code enforcement was another major component of the plan.

Other concerns raised were two liquor stores downtown, which the subcommittee said may contribute to the alcohol and trash issues, as well as Paisanos Pizza on Hermosa Avenue.

“I have nothing against Paisanos, but that place stays open until 3 o’clock,” said one resident. “That’s the magnet for all the ‘Dawn of the Dead’ people. … At 2 o’clock, you want everybody to get out of town.”

Papa agreed.

“Personally, I would like them to leave,” she said. “Paisanos is problematic at times. We’ve had numerous fights at Paisanos because it gets crowded. It’s one of the few places you can grab a bite.”

She added: “Is it the worst place in town? Probably not. But does it add to the overall issue? Yes, it does.”

The two liquor stores downtown “absolutely” contribute to the problem, Duclos said. Papa said she was “shocked” when she found out before she was hired in 2013 that there was a liquor store on Pier Plaza.

“They (business owners) get defensive when they hear people talking about all the trash and beer cans and beer bottles from the bars,” Papa said. “Those are likely not coming from the bars. They don’t let people walk out with bottles.”

‘Want it to feel really safe’

Councilwoman Stacey Armato, who along with Mayor Justin Massey is part of the Downtown Subcommittee, said the video just reinforces what she has seen with her own eyes.

“I have witnessed multiple fights, people drinking in public, urinating, vomiting, people falling all over the place,” Armato said. “It’s not everybody, but it happens every single weekend night.”

Armato added: “At a certain hour it becomes really uncomfortable — and to be there alone, not ideal. That’s precisely the feeling we want to change … we want it to feel really safe.”

Massey said the city’s obligation is to make residents and visitors safe day and night.

“We’re not there yet, the video shows that,” he said.

Councilwoman Carolyn Petty said there are great things about downtown, but challenging ones as well. She recalled a dinner at Palmilla with 15 of her colleagues, saying that everyone had a great time.

“Did I have them there until 1 o’clock in the morning? No. … Am I bringing my kids there at 1 o’clock in the morning? No. Is it a great place to bring my kids to 8:30 at night? Yes. But it does change and we live in a free society. Alcohol is permitted in our society, so we have to acknowledge that … we just ask people to respect our town.”

Michael Hixon, a community journalist for 21 years, is a reporter at The Beach Reporter who covers Hermosa Beach and well as business, feature and entertainment news. He also has written extensively about Hollywood movies and film festivals and met or interviewed more directors and celebrities than he can count.